


Faking It

by awgaskarth0805



Category: All Time Low (Band)
Genre: Sickfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-25
Updated: 2018-10-25
Packaged: 2019-08-07 10:59:34
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,167
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16407185
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/awgaskarth0805/pseuds/awgaskarth0805
Summary: Jack fakes sick to get out of a long workday, only to really get sick a couple days later.





	Faking It

When Jack woke up, he groaned. He’d stayed up late the night before, and they had a whole press day in front of them. They had about seven different interviews, and he didn’t really want to do any of them. It was going to be a twelve-hour day for sure, and Jack didn’t want to be doing stuff for that long.   
How can I get out of this? Jack thought to himself. Suddenly, the perfect idea dawned on him- if he told his bandmates that he was sick, and they believed him, this could be his ticket to getting out of their busy day. He got out of his bunk and went into the tiny bus bathroom. He looked tired from staying up late, which would help his case. He turned on the hot water in the sink and put some on his skin to make it seem like he had a temperature. He put some water in his hair, to make it look like he had been sweating in his sleep. Deciding that this would probably be enough, he quietly walked out to the front of the bus. The rest of the band was already out there, and he started his act by coughing.  
“Woah man are you okay?” Alex asked, being the first to show concern.  
“I feel pretty bad,” Jack replied in a fake raspy voice. He’d perfected this voice as a kid, when he would try to get out of going to school.  
“You sound pretty bad, dude. You’re sweating a lot, too,” Rian observed.  
“No way, it’s fucking freezing in here,” Jack said, hugging his body and shaking.  
“I don’t know if you should do the interviews today, it’s going to be a really long day, and it seems like you need some rest,” Alex stated.  
“No, I don’t want to miss out on anything,” Jack said, pretending to protest.  
“You really should sit out today, we have an acoustic set tomorrow, and it’d be really bad if you were sick for that,” Zack interjected.   
“Yeah man, get back to bed, it’ll be okay if you miss this, the fans will understand, your health always comes first. Trust me, having to do a full day feeling that bad is not fun, I’ve done it quite a few times now,” Alex explained.   
“Exactly. We have another long press day in a few days, maybe you’ll be well enough for that one, but just take the day off and get some rest today,” Rian added.  
“Okay, I guess I’ll go back to bed. Thank you, guys, for being so understanding, I’m really sorry about this,” Jack said, bursting into another fake coughing fit.  
“Don’t worry about it, man, just go rest up,” Alex said. They all told him to feel better, and Jack went back to his bunk.  
I can’t believe that worked, Jack thought to himself. He climbed into his bunk with a smile. Since he did have such a late night, Jack decided to fall back asleep for the time being.  
———  
Jack ended up having a really nice day. He got to practice guitar for a long time, he got to make himself a good lunch, and he watched a couple of movies as well. He did feel a bit guilty about lying to his friends, but he didn’t regret it. He wanted to avoid being an adult with responsibilities for a day, and he got his wish. He was currently in the front lounge, listening to Blink-182, pretending to give a concert like he did when he was younger. He was dancing, singing, and playing air guitar. He was halfway through What’s My Age Again? when the bus door opened, and his bandmates walked on. To say they were shocked at what they were seeing would have been an understatement. When Jack finally saw them, fear ran through his body. They were back about an hour before they said they’d be. Jack immediately turned off the song and stared at his bandmates.  
“Hey guys, you’re all back early,” Jack said, dumbfounded.  
“Yeah, we came back to take care of you,” Rian explained.  
“That’s good, I still, um, feel,” Jack stopped himself, knowing that he’d been caught.  
“Were you really faking?” Zack asked. Jack didn’t say anything, and everyone already knew that the answer was yes.  
“Why?” Rian asked.  
“I just didn’t want to be an adult today. I wanted to be lazy, and I’m really sorry,” Jack replied. He knew that this was low when he decided to do it, but he didn’t think it would be this much of a problem.  
“You know I get sick a lot, like a stupid amount of the time. Because of that, I was worried about you all day. I’ve done days like today while having a fever in the hundreds. It fucking sucks, and I was glad that you didn’t have to deal with that. I can’t believe that you lied about this,” Alex said, sounding very hurt. Since he got sick as often as he did, he was always extremely concerned when another bandmate was feeling under the weather.  
“I’m really sorry,” Jack said quietly, not knowing what else to say.  
“I think we’re all going to go back out. We have an acoustic set tomorrow, then a long press day the day after. You better not fuck around like this after today,” Rian said, leading the other two off the bus with him. Jack was feeling guilty, he didn’t expect this plan to blow up on him like this. Deciding that he didn’t really want to do much else, he went back to his bunk. He watched a movie on his phone, then fell asleep, feeling guilty and sad.  
——–  
The next day, the other three were still angry at Jack, and didn’t talk to him unless they absolutely had to. They did their acoustic set, and it went fine, as far as the music was concerned, but Jack still felt bad about what he had done. When he got into his bunk that night, his body felt a bit achy, but he figured it was the guilt taking a toll on him physically. He wrapped himself up in his covers, since he felt cold. He got as comfortable as his body would let him and fell asleep shortly after.  
——  
When Jack woke up the next day, he felt terrible. He was shivering due to being freezing, but he was sweating at the same time. His whole body hurt, and his muscles ached, and his stomach was killing him. He had a headache that felt more like a migraine, and his throat felt like it was on fire.  
“Great, I can’t believe this,” Jack said to himself in a very hoarse voice. He couldn’t believe that this was happening to him two days after having faked this. He figured that this was just karma for what he did. He knew he had to get up and get some medicine into him, so he could get through the day. They had a few interviews, then a gig to play. It was going to be a slightly shorter set, but Jack felt so weak, that the thought of standing onstage, holding and playing a heavy guitar sounded terrible to him. He saw the time was eleven thirty, which meant that they had to leave for press in thirty minutes. He hoped that he could sit out for at least some of the press stuff that day. He got out of his bunk and started to feel dizzy. He tried to balance himself before walking out to the front lounge.  
“About time you got up,” Rian said when they saw Jack walk into the room.   
“We have to leave in thirty minutes, you’d better get yourself ready,” Zack stated.  
“Guys, I feel really sick,” Jack said, rummaging through the medicine drawer. His voice sounded shot, and it hurt his throat to talk.  
“Dude, you literally just pulled this a couple of days ago, do you really think that we’re going to fall for this shit again?” Alex shot back.  
“No, I’m actually sick this time. The timing is fucking weird, I’ll say that, but I’m really not feeling well,” Jack said, coughing.   
“That doesn’t sound real at all, dude. I know we have a super busy day today, but it’ll be over before you know it,” Rian explained.  
“Yeah, and dude, you know days like this come with our job, if you don’t like it, then why are you in a band in the first place?” Alex asked in an annoyed tone. Deciding that arguing with his band was pointless and would only make his throat hurt more, he quickly took his medicine, then walked into the bathroom. He looked at his reflection in the mirror, and he did look sick. He was pale, aside from his flushed cheeks, and his eyes looked tired. He was surprised that his band didn’t believe him, since he almost looked as bad as he felt. He turned on the shower and got out the thermometer while he waited for the water to warm up. Once it was done, he read the number, which was 101.2. He took his clothes off for his shower and winced as the cold air hit his skin. He took a fast shower, and unfortunately didn’t feel any better after. He got himself ready, then walked off the bus with his band once it was time.  
———  
To say that it had been a long day for Jack would be an understatement. It was now six that evening, and they were backstage at the venue that they were playing. All the interviews they’d done had really worn Jack out. Right after the third one, he threw up, which made him feel much worse for the rest of their press day. He was much quieter than normal, much to his bandmates’ annoyance. He tried to get them to believe that he was sick, but nothing he said worked. The thought of having to go onstage soon sounded terrible to him. He didn’t want to let down the fans, but he honestly wasn’t sure if he could play for an hour. The other three were all out doing something together, but Jack stayed in the green room, trying to rest up as much as he could. Every symptom that he had when he first woke up had worsened throughout the day, little by little, which left him feeling terrible at that point. Once it was a quarter to seven, he got up, and got as ready as he could. He took some stomach medicine, as well as some flu medicine, hoping that it would make the next hour of his life at least a little easier. He still looked terrible but knowing that he didn’t have a choice at this point, he decided that he was done, and walked over to the stage entrance with five more minutes until showtime.  
“Finally, dude, you should’ve been out here forever ago,” Rian stated, sounding annoyed.  
“Why don’t you guys believe me?” Jack asked, coughing.  
“Dude stop with the faking, we’re literally about to go on, there’s nothing you can do to convince us at this point,” Zack continued.  
“I’ve gone onstage with so many things that are a lot worse than a little cough. Mine are also all real. You’re being ridiculous,” Alex stated, rolling his eyes. Jack didn’t say anything, knowing that it would just be pointless. Their stage manager told them that it was time to go on. Jack let out a groan as he followed his bandmates onstage.  
“How’s everyone doing tonight?” Alex yelled into the microphone, earning lots of cheers and screams.  
“We’re All Time Low!” he finished, starting to play Damned If I Do Ya. Jack made it through the first few songs okay for the most part. When they started to play Backseat Serenade, Jack’s stomach started to do flips. He instantly regretted taking the medicine earlier, knowing that’s the only thing that could be causing this. They’d just finished the first chorus, when Jack could feel what was coming next. He ran offstage, handing off his guitar, then quickly got to the bathroom that was right by the stage. He locked himself in a stall and kneeled in front of the toilet. He started to get sick, feeling miserable  
——–  
Onstage, Alex, Rian and Zack couldn’t believe what had just happened. Once they finished the song, they all looked at each other, and they were all thinking one thing: we fucked up.  
“Hey guys, I’m going to go see what’s up with Jack, but for now, here’s the best rhythm section to ever exist, Rian and Zack!” Alex said, trying to cover up the feelings of worry that were currently going through him. Rian took Alex’s place onstage and started up some pointless banter with Zack. Alex walked to the stage tech, who just pointed to the bathroom. He walked in and saw the bigger of the two stalls was locked.   
“Jack are you in here?” Alex asked.  
“Yeah,” Jack replied in a small voice. The acid from his stomach made his already hoarse voice even more rough.  
“Can you open up the stall door for me?” Without saying anything, Jack unlocked the door, and Alex was blown away by what he saw. Jack, his best friend, was on the floor, looking pale, weak, and miserable. He was also holding his stomach, and sweating, but Alex could also see that he was shivering.  
“Jack, oh my god, I’m so sorry that we didn’t believe you,” Alex said, at a bit of a loss for words. Jack opened his mouth to speak, but a flip in his stomach sent him back over the tiny toilet. Alex rubbed his back until he was done, trying his best to comfort his friend.  
“I feel terrible. The last time I checked my temperature, it said 101.8,” Jack replied.  
“Shit man, I’m so sorry we were such assholes and made you go through the whole day feeling so bad,” Alex said, feeling guilty.  
“I’m sorry that I was faking two days ago, I shouldn’t have done that and definitely won’t again. Karma really is a bitch,” Jack replied.  
“Go to the green room, we’ll finish the set early, so we can take care of you,” Alex explained.  
“Are you sure?” Jack asked.  
“Absolutely. We can come here again to make up for it in the future, but when you’re not puking your guts out,” Alex replied, causing Jack to laugh a bit. Alex helped Jack get up, then walked back onstage.  
“Guys, Jack is feeling really sick, so we’re just going to play a few more songs without him, then call it a night. We promise that we will make this up to you guys, we’re all so sorry,” Alex explained to the crowd. Everyone shouted well wishes for Jack as they started to play Lost In Stereo. After a couple more songs, they said goodbye to the crowd, and went straight to the green room. Jack was laying on the couch, under a blanket with a bucket close by. Seeing this made Alex’s heart hurt, not only because they didn’t believe him earlier, but he’d been in this situation before, and knew how bad it felt. He also felt a bit guilty, because Jack would always take care of him when he was sick, and all that Alex had done was be an ass to him all day.  
“How’re you feeling, man?” Alex asked, already knowing the answer.  
“Shitty,” Jack replied, breaking into another coughing fit.  
“Jack, we’re so sorry,” Zack said.  
“Yeah man, we’re sorry we made you do everything today while you felt this terrible,” Rian added.  
“I’m sorry for faking the other day, maybe all of this would’ve been different if I hadn’t done that,” Jack replied.  
“We’re still really sorry,” Zack said.  
“They need two of us to help pack stuff up here. Alex, why don’t you go back to the bus with Jack, and Zack and I can help out the crew some,” Rian suggested.  
“Sure, thanks guys,” Alex replied. Everyone knew that Jack and Alex enjoyed each other’s company when one of them was sick or had some type of problem. It was like an unofficial tradition at this point. Zack and Rian got up and walked out to help where they were needed.  
“Want to get on the bus?” Alex asked. Jack just nodded in reply. Alex helped his friend to his feet, and over to the bus. Once they got on, Alex helped Jack change into comfier clothes. He set him up in the back lounge with blankets and pillows, he brought some medicine, and a bucket for just in case. He made Jack a cup of honey lemon tea and got the thermometer.   
“That’s just going to make me throw up again,” Jack said, about the tea.  
“Small sips. It’ll soothe your throat without messing with your stomach,” Alex explained.   
“Okay, I’ll try it, I’d give anything for this pain in my throat to go away,” Jack said, taking a small sip.  
“Let’s use this,” Alex said, handing Jack the thermometer. Once it was done, Alex took it back.  
“102, holy shit, Jack, that’s pretty high, you must be feeling pretty bad,” Alex said, sitting next to Jack.  
“Yeah, I haven’t felt this bad in a really long time,” Jack replied, coughing.  
“I’m really sorry, Jack. I feel so bad about all of this,” Alex said, sounding as guilty as he felt.  
“Alex don’t beat yourself up too much over this. I shouldn’t have lied the other day. But, all this shit is in the past now, I just want to focus on getting better at this point,” Jack said, making both of them crack small smiles.  
“Want to cuddle?” Alex asked. It was no secret that they both liked to be cuddled when they were sick.  
“Absolutely, but I don’t want to get you sick,” Jack replied.  
“I’ll be fine, don’t worry about me,” Alex said back.  
“You literally have the world’s shittiest immune system,” Jack countered.  
“I’ll be fine, just come here. I know how terrible you’re feeling right now,” Alex said. Jack cuddled into Alex, and they turned on a movie. Over the next few days, Alex took care of Jack, so he could feel like his normal self again. It took a while, since Jack was sick, but it was all worth it at a show they had a couple days later, when he finally felt like himself again. he felt super lucky to have the best bandmates, and Alex as his best friend. Jack got to show this gratitude about a week later, when it was discovered that Alex had caught Jack’s flu, as everyone predicted. The band always helped each other, and in times like these, their amazing friendship and strong bond really proved to be the best thing ever.

**Author's Note:**

> So, this was a little over 3,000 words!! This isn’t really what you’d think of as a Jalex story, but I wrote it with the end scene in mind. I hope that you guys liked this!! Send requests if you have them!!  
> Lots of love, Liv


End file.
